YAOUNDE, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, on Friday called for combined efforts from Cameroonians from all walks of life to fight against illegal drug trade and abuse which he said is gaining grounds in school milieu in the commercial capital, Douala.

"We have realized that, there are a lot of drugs in the city of Douala including tramadol, tramol, and cocaine and so on which is very disturbing. Drug abuse is growing in the city. In primary schools, colleges and even universities, we realized that there are a lot of drugs circulating among the students," Nji told reporters after holding a sensitization meeting with the local population.

"We have had an evaluation to see where the drugs are coming from. The governor and forces of law and order have to remain very vigilant. We have put in place a synergy to track down all those who are circulating the drugs within the region especially school premises," he added.

Illicit drug abuse and trade is dangerous for Cameroon and is the cause of crimes and corruption, which hinders socio-economic development and also causes huge losses to individuals and families, according to Nji.

In 2018, Cameroon's Anti-Drug National Committee's estimate on narcotic consumption in the country showed that 21 percent of the population have already tried hard drugs, 10 percent are frequent consumers including 60 percent young people aged 20-25.